Preview: 2003 BMW Z4

Overview

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In 1996, when BMW introduced the Z3 roadster, the only significant competition was from Mazda's Miata. And in that single first year of the Z3, BMW managed to widen the roadster market--and take away nearly half of it from Mazda.

But there was a problem with the Z3.

It was based on a pre-existing and inferior chassis, at least by BMW standards, with a squirmy rear suspension that didn't like to stay put. The base Z3 could get downright scary during full-tilt driving. Only the hardtop M Coupe--although still capable of hair-raising antics--was stiff enough to offer some semblance of those two most laudable of classic BMW traits:

Predictable behavior at all times

A car that makes you feel like a better driver than you really are

Despite the warts, BMW Z3 sales boomed on the strength of styling and the cachet of the BMW name. And the competition, only a half step behind, got ready to pounce on the resurgent roadster category.

Mercedes introduced its SLK in early 1997, and Porsche went more upmarket, with the Boxster, which also debuted that year. Audi was a bit late with its TT in 1998, and suddenly all this competition made it clear that BMW had a real fight on its hands.

The SLK was far more luxurious inside than the Z3 and the TT was (and still is) one of the most cleverly and attractively designed cars of the era, with a machine-age interior and curvy, retro exterior. Also, since the Z3 had its handling flaws, Audi and Mercedes didn't even have to go overboard with performance. Then again, if performance was what you wanted, you could just spend more and buy the Porsche.

Or, spend less, and get the Honda S2000, a car that came a bit later to the party (1999), but one that showcased an amazing engine and very strong handling.

At the end of 2001, the roadster market had boomed and hit a plateau, sitting at about 100,000 units, same as 2000 numbers, but three times as large as it was in 1995. Problem is, in 1996 BMW held nearly half of this segment and sold almost three times as many Z3s as it did in 2001.

Time to start over.

Enter the 2003 Z4, an entirely new car from the ground up, with every element, save the motors, rethought and redefined. We mean that, by the way. It's not just a new skin on the outside (we'll get to that skin in a little bit). The Z4 has a 100% stiffer body; sits on a wider, longer wheelbase with a larger cabin; and features a redesigned rear suspension for much better feedback and handling.

Total all that up and you have a far better-handling car, one that lives up to those two key BMW traits of predictability and improving the driver's skills--then goes well beyond them. This is a fast, fun car, one that for between $33,795 and $40,945 can make you feel like a hero every time you drive it but won't punish you even on very long drives, a real rarity in the sports car world.

Want to know more? Trust us, you should. Click below and get the full report.

Design

If BMW had problems getting its styling message across with its new 7 series, the great fear among fans of the Bimmer (what BMWs are called by those in the know) was that the Z4 would be even more "unique" looking. A valid concern, true, but you should hear BMW's take, we think, before you make your judgments.

Anders Warming of Designworks/USA (a studio owned by BMW that creates cars but also cell phones, office chairs, etc.) and other BMW artists started several years ago to give the carmaker a new look. This effort debuted a few years ago with the controversial X9 concept car. Warming designed the interior of that car. When he got around to remaking the Z3, Warming says, he sketched something that looked almost precisely like the car you see here.

That was no accident, because what Warming and company had in mind was something very much in keeping with BMW tradition. No, that didn't mean it would be conservative, or that the external sheet metal would echo BMW's past, but the proportions most certainly would.

Think of the current BMW Z8 and you can see a direct link to the 1950s BMW 507. What both cars have in common, and what they share with the Z4, is classic roadster proportions. They get a high, long hood line that then gives way to the cabin. But the driver himself sits way back in the car, with his head and derrière as close to the rear axle as possible. From above, such cars aren't square but hourglass-shaped, with a wide hood and a narrowing line that angles inward toward the driver. The perception of driving such a car is one of power, since you look out over a long hood, like an engineer in a locomotive.

At the same time, the narrower point near the driver also gives you a sense of control, since you can literally see the front corners of the vehicle and you're nearly sitting on the back ones. Thus, the rotational point of the car is essentially you: Like a man at the center of a kayak, the car turns around you.

In contrast to the traditional fit of the Z4, the "skin" of the car is anything but traditional. "We didn't want a retro thing," Warming says. "Traditionally," the young Dane notes, "you take a surface and make it look like it's wrapped around something," like a tight outfit over a muscular body.

"But we wanted to show passion--action--in the surfacing," he says. To that end, every corner of the car has been reinterpreted with this new language in mind. Just scope out the carved side-view mirrors; the point where the lines of the hood and headlamps intersect; the rising curve of the integrated rear spoiler; or how the tail lamps are made into the shape of the car rather than taken from the parts bin and the car made to fit around them. Those tail lamps are also recessed into the body, so they comply with federal standards, but even this is done with a certain flare.

We think the new language works pretty well. The only area that doesn't seem fully baked to us is the nose, where a wide, low air intake gives the Z4 a semi-frown. And although this car continues the long BMW tradition of round headlamps, it hides them behind clear lenses, so for all intents and purposes they are no longer a part of the design but an afterthought.

Nonetheless, from the side or back, the car looks at once classic and fully like its own new animal. And when you drive one, it turns a lot of heads. That, of course, is what BMW had in mind.

"We didn't want a confining BMW character," Warming said. "We wanted something far more dynamic, that would indicate the bookends--the limits of either end of the spectrum, with the 7 series on one end and the Z3 on the other. The idea isn't to have just one car in different sizes."

Interior

As spaceship cool as the Z4 is on the outside, the same ideas are echoed in the interior. Before we go any further, we have to say that this is really important--and sports car manufacturers should know this. We think the Honda S2000 has performance limits, but its greater failing is that the cabin is no more special than that of a Civic.

By great contrast, the Audi TT is all about interior aesthetics. Climb aboard and you've entered your own personal, leather-bound jet fighter.

BMW knew that the Z3 cabin was nowhere near as nifty as the TT's, so with the Z4 it stepped up--big time. BMW has achieved something that looks totally cool (think Tumi luggage) and completely machine-age functional, like a Hobart commercial-grade blender. That's a tough combo, because not being gimmicky but still giving function real style isn't a simple task.

Examples of this include the exceedingly straightforward switches for the vents, fan speed and A/C and temperature. Each gets a simple, large-ribbed knob, and you learn the location and function of each within five minutes of driving the car. Contrast this with many screen-based systems (now what menu do I use to set the vent control again?), and you see why we like this better.

Below these controls, at the base of the center console, you'll find a simple line of buttons for less-frequently used features, like adjusting the traction control. Above the HVAC knobs sits the presets and radio knobs, so you only have to lower your line of sight from the road for an instant. And what a fantastic, premium Carver sound system ($875) these switches control. Sounds like a lot of dough for better tunes, we know, but this is, bar none, one of the best car stereos we've ever heard. It packs 10 speakers, a 10-channel amp, dual subwoofers and a seven-band digital processor.

And that's just the parts list. The sound itself is clear, automatically speed-sensitive (so you can still hear it at 90 mph with the top down--we tested it) and concert-quality. This is a must-purchase option if you're even vaguely an audiophile.

A few more interior highlights:

The entire dash, whether covered in real aluminum or optional sycamore wood trim, curves in an echo of the side view of the car.

Armrests, too, fall away at an angle, again mirroring the themes outside.

A soft-top roof that seals out sound and opens and closes electrically (a $750 option) in only 10 seconds.

A center tunnel that's got knee padding in just the right places, so the driver and passenger don't get banged around when whizzing through tight bends.

Supportive seats built for sport, but not so hard that cruising isn't comfy.

A large cubbyhole between the seats that's big enough for an optional CD changer but otherwise can hold a 1,000-page paperback, suntan lotion, cell phone and a bottle of Evian.

Performance

Ah, the goods.

No question, the Z4 is a performance automobile, one designed to really be a blast to drive, and one that smacks around the competition a bit as well. It's not the fastest roadster in this segment--that title belongs to the far pricier, $52,365 Boxster S. But the more expensive Z4 3.0i ($40,945) is plenty quick, and even the $33,395 Z4 2.5i, although not as muscular, has plenty of grip, excellent steering and can swallow a windy road near flat-out without wallowing even slightly on its suspension.

Both cars, in fact, can do this and still feature setups that just don't bat around the driver. Compare this to cars like the Boxster and Boxster S, and, yes, you give up a small degree of performance edge, but you'd probably only discover this on the track. And both of those Porsches are bit harder on their passengers; driving them all day on anything but glass-smooth highways will tire you out. You might enjoy these cars--no doubt, we do--but for a daily driver we'd side with the BMW. Now if we lived in Southern California, with its never-frozen roads, the story would be different. Explaining precisely how the Z4 manages to be both agile and forgiving, as well as tight in a sharp curve, would take a while, but here are the keys:

BMW used structural reinforcements (Y-form front longitudinal members; various braces) pioneered on the $130,000 Z8 and also those used in M3 models. Front strut towers are braced from the front suspension to the cowl.

Forged aluminum lower arms (front suspension) that reduce unsprung weight (the amount of mass you have to move around when you steer).

Hollow strut rods that also reduce weight

Multi-link rear suspension with a wider footprint and three links per wheel. For better cornering stability, both rear wheels are canted slightly inward.

The suspension was engineered from the beginning to work with run-flat tires, so the ride is no harsher than that of a sports car mated to conventional tires.

Add all that up and attach it to a frame that's 100% stiffer than the Z3's, and you have a convertible that feels incredibly solid and nailed to the road. That's very rare, and the confidence it inspires in a tight turn is unbeatable.

Of course, it wouldn't matter one whit without the two engines you can get with the Z4 and the transmissions these cars come with.

First, the transmissions. Whether you get the five-speed available in the Z4 2.5i or the six-speed in the Z4 3.0i, both feature a clean, exact feel and are linked to lightly sprung clutches. These cars shift like BMWs, which is to say, like the gold standard for manual-shift cars. Incidentally, you can also get an excellent five-speed Steptronic automatic, and although we'd prefer to shift ourselves, this gearbox is about as much fun as any self-shifter because it allows the manual selection of gears and holds them. It doesn't anticipate the next gear and upshift when you don't expect it.

Also, next spring you'll be able to get either car with a Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) that works like a Formula 1-style clutchless manual. Gear selection is via two paddles adjacent to the wheel, and no clutch pedal is required. Prices for this option will be announced later.

Engines?

Yes, the Z4 2.5i has the same motor you'll find in the BMW 325i sedan, and the Z4 3.0i has the same engine as the 330i sedan. But both Z4s are as much as 500 pounds lighter than those sedans. And the 2.5-liter inline six in the Z4 2.5i gets changed intake and exhaust systems for greater low-end response. Indeed, although the torque peak (175 foot-pounds) arrives at a fairly high 3,500 rpm, most of that twisting force comes in right from a rolling start.

So even though 0-60 mph takes 7.1 seconds in the manual version of this car, which isn't world class, the mid-line power (for passing, say) is excellent and will nail you to your seat back. The Z4 2.5i will be the one most buyers pick due to its lower price tag, but it's hardly a wimp. Its engine is free-revving and entertaining. It can get a bit noisy at 80 mph on the highway, but the inline six is so smooth that even at such speeds the car isn't deafening.

The 3.0i is much quicker: 0-60 mph takes only 5.9 seconds in the six-speed car, and mid-range torque (214 foot-pounds) is a delight; power for passing in any gear is plentiful; and accelerating in this car is pure, stomping fun.

Both cars are available with a Sport Package ($1,500 in the 2.5i; $1,200 in the 3.0i), and we'd say this is a must. It buys bigger wheels and tires and a firmer sports suspension, but the real perk is the Sport button next to the gear selector. Press it, and the throttle is set for quicker response. This "wakes up" the engine, so a simple tap of the gas gets you going. The electric power steering also gets a little less assistance, so you feel the road a tad more. Doesn't sound like much, but in action Sport mode is like a hit of caffeine for a car that's already wide-awake.

Prices

Whether you get the 2.5i or the 3.0i, there are certain features we'd opt for that you should at least consider.

The fully automatic top is a $750 option or comes as part of the $2,900 premium package, which goes for a mere $1,500 on the 3.0i. This deal includes goodies like leather seats, power seats and cruise control. We don't think automatic seats are so necessary, but leather is nice, cruise is handy...well, you get the idea.

We'd also want the sport package ($1,500 on the 2.5i; $1,200 on the 3.0i). As we said in the Performance section, this adds larger wheels and tires, a sportier suspension and that very nice Sport button for faster throttle response.

Pretty quickly, then, you're looking at a nearly $40,000 Z4 2.5i or a $45,000 Z4 3.0i. That's not cheap, since a loaded Audi TT is smack between those two price points and gives better all-weather performance, if not the fresher face of the Z4.

Cheaper may be the Nissan 350Z convertible, due out this spring. We expect it to run at about $35,000, which to us makes it a must-drive before purchasing the Z4. And besides, that gives you time to wait for more color choices--only four will be available this winter; the car went on sale last week--and that SMG transmission. Anyway, a TT, a 350Z convertible or a Z4 would be a darn fine addition to the garage.